Trends and Investments in BioPharma: The Impact of COVID-19

Historically, our global community has long prioritized the value of health. This is the basis for today’s biopharma industry with its primary growth derived from on-going innovation and most recently by the ability of biologics to treat challenging diseases. The industry has attracted investment to support the trend toward innovation which in turn fuels the ever expanding pipeline and production of commercialized, complex drug therapies. Biopharma innovation has evolved to provide new facilities that are smaller, innovative, incorporate modularity, and achieve lower cost, highly efficient and flexible manufacturing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced adaptations that are abrupt and catastrophic change to our global economy and personal behaviors. Additionally, the impact has affected all facets of our global economy. Undeniably, COVID has been a disruptor to our biopharma industry.

However, the overall impact COVID will bring to our industry is potentially positive. Areas that can anticipate a positive jolt include aspects of attracting trained human capital, further capital investment, construction of facilities and, ultimately, better health care products.

COVID-19 is a healthcare crisis and biopharma will undoubtedly contribute to the solution. The anticipated growth, innovation and resulting drug products can be expected to fuel expedited metamorphose of all aspects of life science, including:

• BioPharm and Medical Device Manufacturing
• Research & Development (Private, Public, Academic)
• Labs (Diagnostics, Clinical & Process Development)
• Education & Training of Human Capital
• Quality & Regulatory

The timing is also advantageous because the biopharma industry is currently positioned for significant transformation in many areas, including:

• Advanced gene-based vaccines: Augmenting or replacing the traditional live or inactivated organism approach to immunization against selected antigens.
• Modularity: Developing highly proven independent components which can be effectively and efficiently combined to create successful systems, including facilities, supply chain products and technologies, manufacturing processes, and quality and regulatory guidance protocols.
• Technologies: Including single-use-disposable and continuous biopharma processing.
• Automation and Controls driving statistical consistency in results.
• Change Management, Quality, and Regulatory protocols

Approaches that were once viewed as futuristic can be seen functioning today in a multitude of biopharma companies and collaborations where creative and expedited approaches are being employed to speed the development of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. In the long term, these innovative approaches will undoubtedly benefit efforts to treat or prevent a vast number of illnesses and in addition to COVID-19.

What does the pandemic mean for construction of life sciences facilities?

COVID-19 is a health crisis and health care solutions need to be supported by construction:

• Medical devices, labs for diagnostics and clinical trials, future manufacturing
• Potential strategic long term supply chain relocation to US
• National security and/or public demand versus low cost manufacturing
• Smaller, flexible and more efficient manufacturing facilities to replace the offshoring of manufacturing in low-cost, and/or tax advantaged countries.

COVID-19 will spur a re-think of the work environment with a retrofit of facilities to accommodate less interaction. Human capital is biopharm’s primary asset and will be the driver behind these changes in workplace design.

• Open and “hoteling” office environments will be revised. Commuting challenges will drive re-locations.
• Changes will be needed to facilitate work from home, flex offices.
• Virtual tools will be integrated into the workplace environment.
• HVAC refinements will be needed to reduce potential for virus transmission.
• Personal protection accommodations will be needed in manufacturing areas to ensure sustainable operations.

Regulated industries like ours are by nature change resistant and/or require highly managed change. But COVID is a globally uniting factor which will enhance the expediting of change through:

• Modularity: Optimizing components and integrating into lower cost, flexible systems.
• Small, more modular and “single-use-disposable” facilities and processes.
• Automation & quality control streamlining.

In turmoil there is opportunity and the pandemic is no exception. Biopharma can be both the solution to COVID-19 and our industry is strategically poised to earn a prominent position in developing a positive future.

Kevin Chronley is Vice President for A/Z Corporation, a specialty construction, design and maintenance service contractor with a focus on BioPharma/Life Sciences. Kevin brings more than three decades of diverse biopharma and specialty chemical industry experience via a career in executive technical management, both from the manufacturing owners side, as well as his current role in leadership for a design/build contractor. Kevin has been an active ISPE member since joining the Society in 2004 including serving as President of the Boston Area Chapter in 2018-19.